Escape from New York: Weekend in the Country

They didn't look but we enjoyed the view from Mt. Holyoke

After spending the holiday weekend in New York City, we are plotting our next weekend getaway. Not that I don't love a NYC 4th of July; in fact, holiday weekends, when you live in NY, are best spent at home, enjoying the relatively quiet beaches, tons of parking, empty restaurants and lack of traffic.

Last time I had a car to test out, we drove up to Northampton, MA for a weekend of hiking. There are plenty of trailheads nearby where you can park for free and enjoy a day in the woods.

We headed to Mt Holyoke, where the Summit Hotel once welcomed guests. The hotel is closed, though it still has rocking chairs on the porch where you can enjoy the expansive view (park rangers also set up a telescope). What it did not have, when we hiked there, was running water, though it is supposed to be available Memorial Day though Labor Day. There are always porta-Johns, but be sure to bring plenty of drinking water when you hike just in case there is no water.

At the summit

There are several different trails here, none particularly rigorous, but all leading to the almost 1,000 foot summit. You are rewarded there not only with the view but also with picnic tables where you can have lunch.

Ducks swimming in the stream at Smith College

You can also spend a day wandering around downtown Northampton, which is filled with vegetarian restaurants, cafes and boutiques. From downtown, walk over to Smith College, which has miles of wood trails, and a stream where dogs can cool off. We also saw families of ducks swimming around and lots of flat stones for skipping across the water.

Enjoying the sunset from the car on the way back to NY. The traffic, not so much.

Note: GM loaned me a Buick Regal. I was not compensated for this post.

Rejoice! The Fresh Fig Sandwich Returns

Eating seasonally and locally means eschewing the imported tomatoes in winter, even when they look pretty decent, and reveling in the ephemeral pleasures of ramps, fiddlehead ferns and, in New York City, New Jersey tomatoes for the farmers market, bursting with rich juice and flavor.

Now is the time of the fresh fig. If you've never had a fresh fig, go ahead and read D H Lawrence on the proper way to eat one (Birds, Beasts and Flowers: Poems) then get a pint of luscious fresh figs. You can enjoy them the D H Lawrence way, but I think their flavor is ennobled by coupling them with a soft, not too pungent blue cheese in this sandwich:

Fig vegetarian sandwich (for 2)

4 fresh figs, (black mission figs are best) with the tips snipped off
4 tablespoons gorgonzola cheese, at room temperature
olive oil
a handful of fresh basil leaves
fresh lemon juice
freshly ground pepper
half a baguette, split both lengthwise and top to bottom

Spread each piece of bread with the cheese - you should have 4 pieces of baguette
Chop the basil and sprinkle on the cheese.
Slice the figs lengthwise and place on top of the cheese
Sprinkle with olive oil
Squeeze some lemon juice on top
Grind some fresh pepper on top of that

This should sit for about an hour for the flavors to meld, but if you can't wait, dig right in - it will still be delicious.

The Best of the New York Baby Show

The Thule RideAlong with windscreen

When I was in the weeds, cranking out kids and worrying about every developmental milestone and crumb of nutrition, I was easy prey for marketers. Just about every infant or toddle safety device seemed necessary to me, and every child conveyance was in my arsenal: umbrella stroller, jogging stroller, infant car seat, baby car seat, infant carrier, sling, backpack, Baby Bjorn.

Now that my kids are a little older, I can look at some of these items with a critical eye and consider what I really needed versus what I bought blindly. So I searched the New York Baby Show last weekend for the top contenders.

Bike with mom and dad
What jumped out at me was the Thule RideAlong, a front carrier bike seat that has an optional windscreen. I love to bike and when our children were younger, we tried out a variety of bike seats and trailers. The rear bike seats that we used had a few flaws; most importantly, that the biker (me) couldn't see the baby behind her. Cycling around New York City is fraught enough that craning your neck to check on the baby made it untenable.

Plus, all manner of schmutz would pelt my daughters and dirt would fly in their tender eyes. This bike seat, which mounts in front of the biker - genius! - so mom or dad can keep a watchful eye on the baby, also has machine washable padding. The seat can also be locked to the bike frame so no one can steal it.

But that windscreen - what a great idea. The clear screen lets the baby watch the action without dirt, or pollen, attacking her.

A better pouch: Once Upon a Farm's cold pressed fruit

Easy feeding for babies

After breastfeeding my kids, I fed them organic baby food, which back in the day came in jars. Now there are several brands that have organic baby food in pouches, which are easier (and cheaper) to transport, so they save on environmental costs, and don't shatter in your bag. Once Upon a Farm uses cold pressure, much like cold pressed juices. The advantage is that heat doesn't kill nutrients. 

Kiddylicious vegetable crisps - you might have to fight your kids for them

The pouches have to be refrigerated, but they stay fresh for up to four hours out of the fridge; if you need to bring food for later, you can freeze a much and let it thaw in your bag. I tried the mango, which had intense fruit flavor and was delicious.

Snack food for little kids - and adults

Pirate's Booty was all the rage when my children were little - it's made from kale and spinach! But, truth be told, it has a bit of a strange taste. Kiddlylicous makes vegetable crisps that crunch, but are so much better than potato chips. The sweet potato chips actually have small amounts of Vitamin C and Iron, and the carrot ones have some protein and calcium to boot. They have no gluten, high fructose corn syrup, lactose, or GMO ingredients and they are low in fat and salt.

Thanks to Momtrends for inviting me to the New York Baby Show. Opinions expressed are my own.

NYC Honey Day Coincides With New Raw & Unfiltered Honey Release

Raw, unfiltered local honey

At The High Line today, local beekeepers and artisanal honey purveyors celebrate the burgeoning NYC (and Brooklyn-centric) honey movement http://www.thehighline.org/activities/nyc-honey-day-at-the-high-line. The pop-up includes samples of local honey and a glass enclosed beehive so you can see the inner workings.

Coincidently, I was sent a sample of L.R. Rice Raw & Unfiltered Honey. The company works with local beekeepers around the country so you can get local honey. With the way my allergies have been this year, I am grateful to get any benefit available from eating local honey.

Or drinking. 

I decided the make a simple syrup with the honey, substituting honey for the usual sugar. For cocktails, I prefer a less sweet simple syrup, so I use a 1:2 ratio of sugar to water; 1 part sugar to 2 parts water.

With honey, which is even sweeter, I used a 1:3 ratio. I steeped fresh mint in the syrup, then used it in a mint julep that both helped beat the heat and included the antimicrobial and antibacterial properties of raw unfiltered honey.

The syrup was cloudy, since honey is thicker than water, so the cocktails were not the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. But they may have been the healthiest.

Maybe next week I’ll try kale and gin.

For the mint simple syrup:

1/3 cup honey

1 cup water

3 sprigs of mint

Heat water and honey in a small pot till boiling. Turn off, add the mint, cover and let cool.

Pour into a mason jar and refrigerate.

If you don't use within a few days, strain the mint out.

For the mint julep

Fill a shaker with ice. Add 2 shots bourbon, 1 shot mint syrup. Shake and strain into a martini or coupe glass.

Garnish with fresh mint.

Enjoy!

Holiday Cooking, Texas Style

Dotty Griffith had me at pecan pie. I have been the Thanksgiving pie maker since I could turn on the oven, and pecan pie is my specialty. My ‘secret’ has always been to cook the sugar and corn syrup till the sugar dissolves, then melt the butter in. I don’t remember know how I came up with this idea, but I’ve never seen it in a recipe until the Texas Holiday Cookbook.

And this pared down recipe doesn’t add rum or any other nasty flavors to muck up the pie; Griffith even ‘allows’ you to use light or dark corn syrup. I’ve always used whatever was on hand; it’s nice to have that choice validated.

The cookbook has recipes for Thanksgiving through New Year’s, with Hanukkah and Christmas in between. And though the book is big on meat, there are some things in here for vegetarians.

There are latkes made with sweet potatoes – and rolled oats. And special Christmas breakfast idea, like kolaches (sweet rolls) and migas, Tex-Mex scrambled eggs/

If you like to give homemade food gifts, there is a chapter on making things like peppermint fudge, chili powder or black-eyed pea relish, to name a few.

There are also a lot of drink recipes to put you in the holiday spirit. Texas tea is perfect for a holiday party; the drink includes tequila, rum, vodka, gin and bourbon. In fact, this drink might be better in New York City than in Texas; our guests can walk or take the subway home.

Colonial Cocktails: Old Stone House

Bars that tout their classic cocktails are often serving well-crafted Manhattans and martinis, drinks that were popular in the 1920s.

But Old Stone House in Park Slope, Brooklyn, goes much further back. This history museum, site of the Battle of Brooklyn in the Revolutionary War, served Colonial cocktails to drum up support for its planned interactive exhibit.

The beguiling cocktail, a ‘shrubb,’ is a bourbon based drink with apple cider vinegar. It reminded me of the ‘drinking vinegars’ served at Pok Pok, which proves that good things come around.

The Old Stone House, part of the Historic House Trust of New York City, anchors Washington Park. The park has a fabulous playground, a turf field and a host of family and adult programming.

Shrubb Cocktail – serves 2  

3 oz   Apple Brandy

2 oz   Bourbon 

3 oz   Dark Amber Maple Syrup

1 oz   Apple Cider Vinegar

A few dashes of bitters 

The Old Stone House served these cold, with a twist of orange peel, so the drinks looked like Negronis. If you have an old fashioned cocktail coupe, shake the drink with ice in a martini shaker and serve in the coupe.

Bermuda Rails to Trails

On Earth Day, creative reuse is on my mind. I love the High Line, in New York City which turned an abandoned rail trail into an elevated park.

And last weekend, I ran on the Bermuda Railway Trail, a walking, running and occasional biking path in Bermuda.

Bermuda’s short-lived railway cut through the heart of the island, and from the trail, you can see parts of Bermuda that are off the tourist track. I peeked into gardens and backyards and saw a lot of chickens and crazy wild nasturtiums. The leaves of some of those nasturtiums were bigger than my hand.

The Railway Trail is a work in progress; on parts, you have to watch out for cars, and if you are biking, you might have to carry your bicycle over trestles or up stairs. For a few miles around Hamilton, Bermuda’s main town, the railway abruptly ends.

But I was staying at the Fairmont Southampton, which has a railway entrance on its property.

Be sure to bring water; there are no facilities on the trail. 

On my 50 minute run, I encountered true solitude (except for the chickens). Most the section I ran was inaccessible to cars, and on the section that allowed cars, only one passed me. I saw no people.

Note: I was a guest of the Bermuda Department of Tourism.

Fitness Challenge: The Sports Club/LA

The Sports Club/LA is one of the most awesome gyms in New York City. But in a rather remote location. I passed it on the way to puppy class for the guide dog I'm raising; it's on 61st Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues, right near an entrance & exit to the FDR. So not the most bucolic. But once you get inside: huge pool and hot tub. Gigantic rock climbing wall. Pilates machines. Acres of state of the art cardio equipment. Basketball, squash. Classes galore. The attended locker rooms are quite nice, with gels and lotions and newly tiled showers. There are even more exclusive private locker rooms, with fruit and a Keurig coffee machine. There is a rooftop lounge where movies are shown in summer. Childcare, a cafe and juice bar. A spa. The challenge may be comparing every other NYC gym to this one.

Fitness Challenge, Day 95

Yoga on the beach is a wonderful vacation treat, but if you are traveling to a city, you can find outdoor yoga when it is warm out.

In New York City, Bryant Park has outdoor yoga in late spring through summer. And Prospect Park, in Brooklyn offers yoga on summer evenings. Even better than enjoying the opportunity to exercise in a park is that these yoga classes are free. Exhale Spa in the Gansevoort Hotel recently had a free yoga day that was not quite as relaxing; we were in an outdoor plaza, surrounded by traffic, trucks unloading and tourists snapping photos. I am looking forward to my upcoming trip to Dallas, for the Family Travel Conference, where the new Klyde Warren Park will have free yoga classes by The Dallas Yoga Center. Sun salutations to the actual sun. It doesn't get much better than that.

Fitness Challenge: Day 67

Gyms in New York City can be so crowded you can't find a locker, or an elliptical machine. Or you have to wait 15 minutes for the 10 lb. weights.

Not so at the West End Sports Club, which is in a new part of NYC that many people haven't even heard of. Across West End Avenue in the 60s, before riverside Blvd even starts, new buildings and parks have sprouted up, and one luxury building houses this gym.

It has a large pool, with aqua fitness classes, a studio for land-based exercise, and plenty of floor space for treadmills, stair climbers and free weights.

What is doesn't have is crowds, which is nice for those who like to exercise in isolation.

Although most of the gym is new, the locker rooms have metal lockers and the old-fashioned look of a Y.

Fitness Challenge: Day 66

Just getting into spin class in New York City can be a workout in itself. At my old Park Slope gym, you had to sign up a day in advance, but sometimes extra people would just show up. Then the spin instructor would have to delay class while she called attendance.

At another NYC gym I tried, spin enthusiasts huddled at the door, bolting inside when the studio was unlocked and they could choose their favorite bike.

I would usually wind up on some rickety bike where the height couldn't be adjusted.

But this blood sport doesn't appeal to everyone. For those people, Pedal NYC beckons. This boutique gym on the far far west side - any further, it would be in New Jersey - had a virtually empty spin class run by the enthusiastic, muscular and tough Mr. Ray.

Even better, the brand new bikes could easily be adjusted, gearing up or down was effortless, and monitors gave us exact readings of our RPMs.

The gym has state-of-the-art air conditioning, which was at a perfect temperature, and a gigantic ceiling fan circulated the air so you didn't have to toil in the stink of your own sweat.

Fitness Challenge: Day 65

When New York City has a 'top 10' day, it can be hard to head inside to a sweaty gym. Luckily, Captain Quinn's Fitness Boot Camp offers outdoor boot camps at J.J. Byrne Playground in Park Slope.

When my oldest daughter started 6th grade at the adjacent William Alexander Middle School, the park was a neglected, dispiriting place that we avoided at all costs. But a dynamic new Executive Director at the Old Stone House transformed the park into a glittering neighborhood jewel.

The field behind the Old Stone House was a dusty, ill-used patch of depression that was carpeted with turf and enjoys near round the clock use. A couple of boot camps start there at 6am, the middle school uses the space for outdoor gym and soccer and baseball leagues take over in the afternoon and evening.

The playground in front of The Old Stone House reopened last week, with innovative climbing equipment, swings for big and little kids, and gardens of flowering plants and shrubs.

All in all, the park is an extremely pleasant place to get your butt kicked into shape.

For the outdoor boot camp, we used resistance bands to work our arms, shoulders and backs, sprinting to cones to get our heart rates up.

The middle schoolers at gym giggled as we did frog jumps or held planks with one foot raised, but they might have been envious of our fitness levels.

My youngest daughter graduated from the school last year. She would have been mortified to see me with a bunch of sweaty adults, counting off jumping jacks.

But I was as happy as a kid at a brand new playground.

Veggie Burgers in New York City

A restaurant specializing in burgers, with bison, elk, wild boar and ostrich among the protein choices may not seem like the obvious choice for a vegetarian, but Bareburger, a mini New York City chain, has extensive vegetarian, and gluten-free options.

And since I chose a vegetarian diet as an environmental choice, how can I not support a place that has all organic produce and dairy, made its tables from reclaimed wood, and sevres organic beer and wine?

Bareburger offers 11 burger choices, and vegetarians can have the vegan patty, or portabella, with any of the vegetarian toppings.

The California, with avocado and cheddar, is a classic choice, as is the classic itself, with pickle relish, smoked onions and ketchup.

If you like spicy food, try the Jalapeno Express, with pepperj ack cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, jalapeno relish, horseradish mayo and chipotle ketchup.

My faves are the Pesto Red Pepper, with the portabella option, and the Mediterranean, with either veggie choice. The Pesto burger comes with smoked mozzarella, roasted red peppers, baby spinach and pesto mayo; the Mediterranean has cucumber mint yogurt, lettuce, cucumber, tomato and smoked onions.

You can also customize a burger, or add an or more cheese, for extra protein.

Bun options include a multigrain roll, brioche, or the gluten-free tapioca rice bun. There are also diet-friendly wheat or lettuce wraps.

The only vegetarian sandwich is the portabella with blue cheese; there are also salads.

I do wish you could get a baked potato instead of French fries; the fries, cooked in peanut oil, are delicious, but even our family of 5 can't finish the huge basket.

And $7 for a side of pickles is a bit steep for a place where the entrees run $10 or $11. Granted, the pickles are Rick's Pick's, and you get adorable little jars of 4 kinds, plus mediocre cole slaw (admittedly, I am not a cole slaw fan) but unless you have a pickle fetish or are eating with 7 others, you are unlikely to come close to finishing.

Fitness Challenge: Day 62

The challenge at PedalNYC was not so much the exercise, which was quite difficult, but finding the studio.

New York City has this habit of vanity addresses, where buildings well off Park Avenue are given a Park Ave address, but in this case, Pedal NYC is on an as yet unnamed street, in a new development on the Upper West Side.

Once I found the place, which bills itself as a boutique fitness gym, I felt like I was in a playground for adults. Masochistic adults. Cheery colors, including a bright green and purple, and cubbies made me feel like a kindergartner.

But there was nothing childish about the workout. I took a TRX class (there is also spin, yoga, Pilates and a core class) with a heavily inked and incredibly toned instructor who gave us basic moves, then 'spicy' alternatives. For one move, we had one foot suspended and then we lunged. To make it more challenging, we could jump up from the lunge.

For a plank with both feet suspended, we could increase the work on our obliques by bringing our knees to either side.

Or we could just collapse in a sweaty heap.

The gym has a large bathroom where you can change, and provides small towels for mopping your brow. One nice touch is the collection of hair bands; I often forget one, and spend half my time pushing hair out of my face.

The cubbies have locks. Bring your own water.

Fitness Challenge: Day 43

Another day, another Y. The Vanderbilt YMCA, on the east side of midtown, has 2 huge pools, a large cardio room and classes throughout the day.

The spin class is strictly self-serve. You go into a caged off area of a room and drag out your own bike, calculating how close you want to be someone else's flying sweat. New York City spin classes attract a lot of men who are often the sweat slingers.

After dragging out a non-working bike and then getting another, I settle into the class, which offers an intense cardio burn.

The instructor keeps hopping off his bike and offering tissues to class members. I wish he would run around with a hose; my water bottle is empty after 45 minutes, but we still have 15 minutes to go.

I am parched and spent at the end of class. A great feeling.

Fitness Challenge: Day 40

On a day of record warmth in NYC, it is criminal to be inside. Go to a gym when it is sunny and almost 70?

I have my early morning power walk, then a run in Prospect Park.

The crocuses are struggling to break free in this early spring. almost summer. Sidewalk tables are also sprouting.

Everyone is smiling. Can this really be New York City?

Fitness Challenge: Day 37

Equinox may be both the nicest and meanest gym in New York City.

The facilities, at least in the one in Soho, are unparalleled. You enter a beautiful loft building, with a fitness shop and healthy cafe on the ground level. There are couches and tables on the mezzanine level, where you can hang out, then a coat check, friendly check-in, and fantastic locker room.

Soft, thick towels, still warm. Glass-doored showers stocked with Kiehl's products, and razors and shaving cream.

The gym is fine, too. The elliptical machines don't have individual TVs; you plug into one of the huge, hanging screens. Environmentally correct, plus you can catch up on trash TV (and pretend to be watching the MacNeil-Lehrer report).

But.

The spin instructor yelled at several people in the class. She scolded those who were late and wouldn't help adjust a bike for a person who came just before the class began. She said that would make everyone late. Really? How long would that take?

At the end of class, when we were supposed to be off our bikes stretching, she yelled at the 2 people who continued to ride. Admittedly, they were being rude. But they were also listening to iPods, so they didn't even hear her ranting. Those of us who complied were yelled at.

Then, I went to do some weights and couldn't find the 5 pound barbells I need for a particular exercise. There were none of the floor, and a trainer suggested I go into one of studios and take a pair.

There was a class going on, but I quietly walked to the back where there were about 30 5 pound hand weights.

Then the instructor started yelling at me for interrupting her class. It was not a yoga class, I hadn't destroyed the serenity, and she was downright rude.

But at least after I showered, my hair shone with Kiehl's Formula 13.

Fitness Challenge: Day 20

Another day at David Barton gym, another intense Melt workout.

The David Barton members don't seem any more fit or gorgeous than members of other New York City gyms, though the mood lighting makes everyone look good.

I run into a little snafu after the class. When I go to shower, there is a woman in the locker room who says that men are working on one of the showers, and it will be an hour till I can shower.

Hmm. Can't wait around, and getting on the subway in this sweaty condition is disgusting. Then someone says she will shower anyway, since the guys are just in one shower. So I do the same. I can hear a couple of men working while I shower but I'm behind a curtain. It reminds me of the co-ed showers at my daughter's college dorm.

Scotch: Crossing over to the dark side

Some things in life are absolutes: I eschew meat, despise okra, love a craft cocktail.
I always thought that tastes were pretty much set as a kid, but when I grew up, I learned to like mushrooms (important when you are a vegetarian), Brussels sprouts, salad dressing. Still hate mayonnaise and ketchup.

But even as an adult, taste evolves. I thought I didn’t like gin, but then I tasted Bombay Sapphire. Then Hendricks. Now I favor artisanal local gins: Breuckelen, Brooklyn and the gin that is required drinking for any acerbic New Yorker, Dorothy Parker American Gin.

I thought, though that I hated scotch. I avoided all ‘dark’ spirits, but then I ordered a Sixpoint Signal, a smoked IPA. The bartender remarked that I must also like single malt scotch, particularly smoky ones. I said I hated scotch and he said I was wrong.

Turns out, I hate cheap scotch. I tried a glass of Laphroaig, which was peaty, smoky and utterly delicious. It didn’t have that gut-wrenching burn of cheap scotch, but rather a warmth that spread through my body.

Guess I need to retry okra.

Fitness Challenge: Day 4

New York City throws in a roadblock to the fitness quest. We live near the controversial new two-way bike lane, which I support. I like to ride the Prospect Park bike lane to show my support.

So, before riding our bikes to meet friends at the High Line, my husband and I ride the new bike lane to the farmer's market. Then we stop at home for bananas and lock our bikes outside. When we return, 10 minutes later, our bikes are gone.

Our Kryponite lock lies sliced in our front garden.

So, just a 3 mile bike ride, followed by walking 10 miles with our friends.